Long exposure photos capture Vietnam firefight

Updated 9:01 PM ET, Fri June 21, 2013

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Long exposure photos capture Vietnam firefight – A 22-year-old paratrooper, James Speed Hensinger, captured these nighttime images in 1970 as the 173rd Airborne Brigade attempted to take out sniper near Phu Tai, Vietnam, during the Vietnam War.

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Long exposure photos capture Vietnam firefight – Hensinger used a long exposure to capture the firefight, resulting in dramatic images of the path of tracer and heavy artillery fire.

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Long exposure photos capture Vietnam firefight – A Viet Cong sniper had been sporadically attacking the camp at night, aiming for sleeping huts. The attacks had killed at least one soldier as he slept.

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Long exposure photos capture Vietnam firefight – The red lines in the photos are tracer fire from M60 and M2 machine guns. The white areas were created by Browning Machine Guns firing in long bursts.

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Long exposure photos capture Vietnam firefight – At the time, he didn't know how well the photos turned out; he only discovered their impact after mailing the rolls of film home. He decided to share them Memorial Day, on May 27.